Flower girl
by starschild09
Summary: What if there were more than two students from Orudera that made it to U.A. High? How would the story change? A more mature look at the amazing story by Kohei Horikoshi.
1. Chapter 1

'Hana! You're gonna be late for school!'

She wakes up at the call of her mother.

One thing just seems to add to another. She didn't hear the alarm goes off despite setting at least ten of them. She didn't step out of bed on the right side even though she intentionally placed her slippers there right before she went to sleep. Most importantly, she didn't hand her uniform up to dry against mom's warning about this exact predicament in which she finds herself.

Hana Morioka flops down on the wooden floor, head leaning against her mattress.

It's her last day at school but she doesn't even have a set of clean uniform to wear.

The girl contemplates on the aspect of being reprimanded by the principal at the closing ceremony She has already gotten into enough trouble at the school that this just doesn't seem like that big of a deal anymore.

She paces around the room, fingers scratching her eyebrow. She knows he will be there, and if there is any chance that he might see her, she wants to make a good impression.

'Hana! If you don't leave soon you're gonna be in trouble!'

'I hear you!' she yells, rocking back and forth hands pulling at her neck.

What to do, what to do?

'Hana!'

Mom's voice sends a jolt through her body. 'Whatever!' she fumes, hurriedly slips into her gym clothes. At least she'd be wearing something from the school and not her casual clothes. They'll have one less reason to chastise her choice of attire.

She'll probably get an earful about it after, but that talk would come after the assembly so in her math, she's winning by two hours.

Grabbing her messenger bag, Hana rushes down the stairs. She sped up as she passes the living room and before mom could make a complaint about her outfit, she was out of the door, running towards Orudera Junior High. If she can't help being yelled at for wearing gym clothes to closing ceremony, she could at most avoid getting caught for being late.

'Now that all of your journey has ended with us, the teachers and I wish you a smooth-sailing start wherever you might be. Though our time has been short…'

Her mind goes to the chirping bird outside the auditorium as she wonders if they have been listening in as well. She looks around the room, marveling at how painfully bored everyone seems to be. Their entire beings beg to be release from the bland prison of speech.

Her focus flickers to Izuku Midoriya. He seems different somehow. Stronger. He doesn't have that lost look in his eyes anymore. His gaze is firmer - straight and almost unwavering. She wanted to say something to him but at one point in time, it's just too late to introduce yourself. Then again, it's also the last day at school, and who can say that she'll have another chance to break the ice, considering that they are going to the same high school.

 _He doesn't know me though_ , she wimps in her head, _what if he thinks I'm weird? I'm just another girl, and he doesn't seem like he has any experience with this kind of thing before. What if I just scare him?_

'Should I just stop?'

'Yes, that would be preferable, Ms. Morioka' the principal startles her. Hana peeks up to find him and all the teachers with very unhappy looks on their faces. She scans around the room, noticing that everyone's eyes are on her.

'Your flowers are quite distracting,' his voice echoes all the way up to the dome.

Her eyes pore over Midoriya before settling on examining her own shoe laces.

Hana purses her lips, recalling his troubled wide-eyes.

Is he upset? Maybe he just doesn't like flower? Would he prefer it if they were leaves?

No, that's a stupid idea. Nobody likes leaves!

Laughter shoot through silence and Hana pulls her hands into two fists, pressing them down on her thighs. She has grown accustomed to the laughter, expected that even.

These people are not her friends and their words had never hurt her. She promised herself that when she goes to high school, she'll make her own friends – people who care about her and won't ridicule her for her Quirk. She intends on keeping that promise.

'Well, minus Morioka-san's little magic trick, that concludes our speech,' the principal clears his throat, 'Please return to your classroom and pick up your degree. Morioka-san, a word?'

'Yes, sir' Hana squeaks.

As the students start to leave, she searches the familiar unruly hair. Her breath stops the moment her eyes accidentally meet his. She averts her gaze instantly, inhales and exhales so the squealing inside her head doesn't make it out from her mouth. Midoriya looks adorable as always – jacket's first button open revealing his white uniform shirt, red combat boots so worn that makes her wonder how far he has travel on his feet. He is absolutely charming and kind, exactly like the first day she sets eyes on him.

Hana bites down on her lower lips, hardly able to keep her emotions contained.

 _He saw me_ , she joyfully thought, _he actually saw me!_

'Morioka!'

The principal calls, and she shoots up from her seat.

'Yes, sir!' she answers, ready to go and welcome the earful lecture that she ever so feared.

'Dressing inappropriately at the ceremony, distracting your fellow students, Morioka, are you sure you're going to be alright out there?'

Hana squirms in her seat. The leather creeks at her every movement.

'I'm sorry, sir' she sighs, 'I forgot to hang the clothes up to dry so I just thought that it's better to wear my gym clothes than to wear my casual outfits'

'You _do_ know that when you go to U.A, you'll have to live alone, right? It's a lot of responsibility. Are you sure you'll be okay?'

'Yes, sir'

The principal gives a long sigh.

Embarrassment is almost a family tradition by now. She knows what the neighbors have been saying about her mom. How she was a single mother and how she has no social life. Hana thought that it might be a good idea if she goes to U.A., mom would have something to be proud of. She can brag to all the old ladies who has been secretly laughing behind her back that her child was smart enough to go to a good school despite starting from a nothing-special local background. Not many people from Orudera get to go to U.A., so Hana is pretty darn proud of herself.

'Try not to cause trouble okay, Morioka?' Principal waves his hand, signaling her to leave his office.

'Yes, sir'

Hana bows, one last time before she heads to the door.

It's over and surprisingly wasn't as bad as she thought. The teachers here weren't really her friends. They paid a lot of attention to the one with flashy Quirks and ignore people like her. It really isn't fair the way they put her on on their radar and compare her with the others but it's the last day. Hana doesn't have to think about it anymore.

 _You did good,_ she praises herself, heading for the school yard. Her class planted a bin of flowers there as their year-end project for Biology and she wants to at least say goodbye to them. Those little ones have been her wonderful companions throughout the years in Orudera, it would only be polite for her to visit them for the last time.

'Hey, flower girl!'

A sudden and angry voice draws her attention.

Almost immediately, she does a 180 and walks. Who cares about flowers right? If it's life and death then her actions are justified. Sometimes the best tactic is just to retreat and regroup. She can always come back another day. Maybe when she's 30 and has a family and a good insurance policy.

'Where the fuck do y _ou_ think you're going?!'

Hana covers her ears. If you can't hear him, then he can't blame you.

'Yo, shrub! I'm talking to you!'

Footsteps start to thump behind her and Hana picks up her pace. Before she knows it, walking has evolved into faster walking … then running.

She can't outrun him though.

Nobody outruns Bakugo.

Before she knows it, they were behind the school yard, his left arm rest against the wall, just a little below her ears and next to her neck. His right two inches away from her face. Bakugo's eyes were bloodshot and if she has to be truthful, crazed.

'Move and I'll blow you pretty flower head off' he warns, 'Now, tell me, how would a useless weed like you think it would be a good idea to apply for U.A.? Do you think they'll just take anybody? Especially somebody like you?'

'…no' she whimpers, 'they take people like you too I guess'

If one day in the future when Hana has the chance to think back about it, about this situation, she would probably laugh. She would think about how angry this bully was and how he was threatening her while flowers were flying out of her hair like she doesn't give a crap.

However, currently, that is not the case. She does give a crap. She gives _multiple_ craps when it comes to Bakugo (because everybody knows that he is dangerous, and nobody messes with dangerous stuff), but somewhere in her stupid and insensitive head, a part of her brain finds this situation extremely amusing. Not because she's not afraid. Not because she's not in any real danger. It's just who she is and who she is inappropriately, finds situation like this funny.

'What is that supposed to mean, huh?!'

'Stop!'

Both of them turns towards the unexpected voice.

'Scram, shit nerd,' Bakugo grins, 'Today, my business is with her'

'S-Stop it, Kacchan' her savior demands, very softly she must add, 'Stop or I'm going to report you to the teachers!'

'Oh? Someone is feeling a little bit brave I see'

Bakugo hands leave the wall, and Hana takes that as her cue.

She dashes, scrambling away like it's the end of the world.

Took a while but she finally made it back to her class. She was out of breath, and her mind was running like crazy but she is safe. Everybody left already, and the classroom is just a bulk of deafening silence now.

'I won't miss you,' she huffs, looking at the graffiti on her desk.

Her years at the school hasn't been the easiest that she knows, but she got through. Hana likes to think that she was strong enough to withstand all of the jokes and the teasing, and that she did it all so that mom wouldn't have to worry about her. She wanted to be kind and brave like Midoriya. Despite all the bullying from Bakugo and all the terrible things his classmates said, he got himself into the hero course at U.A. It was his dream. She can tell. He looks at his notes like she would look at the flowers in the bin. He was her hero – the right kind.

Hurling her messenger bag over her head, Hana rushes downstairs.

The school is almost closed now, so chances are Bakugo already went home. If she is fast enough, she might make it. It feels terrible ignoring the flowers now that the threat is no longer on premise, so maybe a quick goodbye would do.

Hana turns at the corner, startled to see Midoriya lying on his back. His arm rests over his fore head as he stares up at the summer sky.

'Oh my god!' she gasps, rushing towards him.

He seems like he's okay, except for the big red bruise on his cheeks. Hana clutches her bag. To think she just leave him for Bakugo to beat him up like that.

'Are you okay?' she scurries down next to him, 'Hey!'

'Oh' he groans and sits up, 'It's you from earlier. Are you alright?'

'Ya, I'm fine. Thank you for saving me. Your face though, that looks painful!'

'Oh, don't worry about it' he laughs, 'Happens all the time. I'm alright'

 _Happens all the time? He has to deal with this every day?_ Hana cringes, terrified at the thought, has he been getting beaten up all the time? Did his family know about this? Did the teachers? Did anyone?

She obviously had no idea. If so, then how has he been with all these?

'Here,' she stops him from trying to stand up and opens up her bag.

Getting out her crumpled-up replacement-of-bookmard band-aid. Hana tears the cover and puts it over Midoriya's wound. The little thing looks pathetic on his bruise, as if it's trying too hard to heal something much bigger than it can provide care for. Kind of remind her of herself.

'Thank you' Midoriya beams, much to her pounding sadness.

'No,' Hana wraps her arms around her legs, looking down 'I'm sorry I ran away. I should have stayed and help you'

'No no! You shouldn't do that! It's not something a girl should do!'

'It is something _I_ should do though. You got hurt instead of me'

Midoriya chuckles, his eyes shine under the setting sun.

'Kacchan was just being mean. He didn't like it that I'm going to U.A so we got into a fight'

'But it's not like he can do anything about it,' Hana pouts, 'It's awfully immature of him to hit you for this'

'..Yeah… what happened between you and him? I-if you don't mind me asking'

'Oh,' she smiles, pulling her hair back, 'He's probably mad at me too for going to U.A.'

'You're going to U.A.?!'

Midoriya shoots up, practically shining. Hana gives a sheepish giggle, averting her eyes away from the excited puppy in front of her.

'Yeah,' she says, 'General Department. I'm trying to become a policema-or woman'

'Cool! You must be really smart then. I'm Midoriya by the way. Izuku Midoriya. I'm in Heroic Department'

'Morioka,' Hana replies, 'Morioka Hanako. Nice to meet you'

'Nice to meet you!' Midoriya smiles, 'Wow. I didn't think anyone else would apply except for Kacchan. I didn't see you during the orientation. Guess we'll see each other in U.A. then?'

'Ya,' she nervously grins, 'See you in school. U.A. Definitely'

Hana doesn't know what might lies ahead of her, but she is certain that as long as Midoriya is there, she can stand tall against any bully. Just as his efforts has inspired her to apply for U.A., she will do her best to stand on equal ground with him so that when the time comes, she could be the one to give hope to others.


	2. Chapter 2

The gate to U.A. High is a big as she could remember from the entrance exam. Chaos ensued that day. First time Hana thought she saw light behind the tunnel. Every one of the students in her area had the same psychotic look in their eyes as they practically stampeded over each other, competing to tear the machines apart. She didn't want to think about the savagery of mankind but Hana couldn't look away from the U.A. Black Friday unfolding before her.

Days after the ordeal, when she got the mail from U.A. her mother was practically dancing around the house in happiness. For mom it was a big thing that she got into U.A. Despite being bum about Hana not getting into the Heroics, she was more than happy to see her daughter in the General Department.

It would be a lie if she said she didn't muffle her scream of joy with the pillows. Not only will she be studying in the same school as Midoriya, she also made quite the impression on the local residents. She was the gossip of the neighborhood and every now and then when she and mom went out to get groceries, they start getting all these random snacks from the mouth-covering giggling ladies in the 'mom federation'. She was basically a celebrity; and for two whole weeks of summer vacation, it felt like heaven.

Hana makes a gulp as she crosses over the invisible line between the school and the outside world. U.A. High School – home to the many famous heroes – it still feels like a dream for her to study here and while she feels blissful, she wasn't free of worries. General Department is usually for students who couldn't make it into the hero course. No one there really choose to be there in the first place. She can't really tell if they would be happy to have someone who purposefully chose to be some generals as their classmate.

She suspected that there would be tension between General Department and the Heroic Course. She concluded that much from the clear-cut labels. General Department – the less special little snowflakes. Suddenly, Hana regrets not looking into bullying and mistreatment rumors around U.A. She thought Orudera would be a nice and lovely junior high where she could spend her time there preparing for her future but turn out they had more to offer than just locally acceptable academic levels. With a highly competitive high school like U.A., there bound to be friction and if she's unlucky, even conflicts. She'd like to know how bad it can get.

There's nothing bad about managing expectations.

'Morioka-san!'

Hana turns around, almost jumps at the sight of Midoriya waving at her as he runs up to the gate.

'Mi-Midoriya-san,' she gives him a baby wave, pushing stray hairs out of her face, 'Good morning'

'I didn't think I'd meet you on the first day!' Midoriya stops next to her, catching his breath, 'I thought I was gonna be late'

'..no.. You're fine. We still have time'

Midoriya looks absolutely adorable in his uniform. His tie seems a little bit shorter than it was intended to be, and a bit bigger too but it only adds to his dorky appearance. He still has the same unruly hair, and the same shining eyes. Must be wonderful for him to finally be here.

Hana smiles at the thought.

He looks genuinely happy and somehow that makes her chest all warm and fuzzy. She can hardly tell if he is as nervous as she is.

'Camellia,' Hana whispers.

Hesitantly, she plucks the flower off her head and hands it to him. 'Here,' she mumbles, 'For good luck'

'T-Thanks!' he cracks a surprised smile. She can see his hidden dimple whenever he smiles like that. It makes his cheeks look like flowers. Her heart flutters as she takes a step back.

'You grow flower out of your head, huh?' Midoriya says, opening his unexplainably singed notebook, 'I wonder if it's your hair or if it's your cell. That's actually quite interesting. Biologically speaking if it's your hair then how much can you grow before you run out of hair. Can you use it for-'

As fast as she could, Hana grabs his hands and closes the book. 'M-Midoriya-san!' she begs, 'Don't write it down… please'

'Oh…Er-Erm-Okay… Er…Your hands'

'Oh!'

Hana lets go, faster than when she touches a burning stove. Hiding her flushed pink fingers behind her back, she inches away from him. She can feel her face burning.

 _Why did I do that?!_ , thoughts run amok inside her head, the sensation of Midoriya's hands still lingering on her skin.

His hands were so warm, and despite his soft look, he does have the typical rough and firm guy's hands. It's a bit surprising, but at the same time, it is really not either. She knows there was a reason that she feels this way about him, that even though she did nothing but stand and watch him get bullied, she knows deep down how strong he is. It was his hidden strength that makes her fall for him. When she held his hands, Hana felt it. Every callus on his palm, and the slightly protruding vein under his skin. It wasn't a hand of a weakling like people seem to think he is. It was a hand of someone who has been silently working towards their goal.

'S-sorry' he apologies, 'I get excited about Quirk sometimes. Sorry about that. It's kind creepy, isn't it?'

'No! Not at all!' she denies, 'I think it's a smart thing to do. It's just… I'm not worth a write do..w..n'

Her sentence trails off as she cautiously sneaks a few looks at his notes, studying the blackened rims of the paper. It's his number 13th note already. She presses her lips together in marvel of his diligence.

'Crap! We're gonna be late!'

Midoriya squeaks and Hana look to find that 8 A.M. is closing in on them.

'B-Bye, Midoriya-san!' she hastily waves at him before running off.

She didn't get to see to hear him say goodbye. She didn't dare to wish for that little piece of sunshine. Hana had to get away before he can see how red she was getting, and before flowers start popping out of her head like spring on steroid.

She rushes through the big hall way, half scared of being late, and half curious to see who her classmates might be. If she is lucky, she might be able to even make a friend. The thought grows increasingly attractive as seconds pass. She didn't get to have a chance to introduce herself properly in middle school before and her Quirk pretty much branded her the entire three years, but this is U.A., it's a new beginning. This time, she'll make sure her classmates know who she really is so they can come to her.

Yeah!

Like a help-wanted poster, minus the desperation.

Hana stares at the enormous door that leads to her classroom with the word 1-C practically taking up half the surface. She tilts her head, chin resting on her hand.

'Why would they need such a big door?'

She wonders out loud, touching its refreshingly cold handle. The door suddenly opens, revealing a purple hair student standing right in front of her.

'Ah… Excuse me,' he says.

Hana nods, wide-eye as she makes way for him to go out. He walks tiredly down the hallway, hands in his jacket. There's something about that exhausted eyes of his and the laid-back manner. If she doesn't know any better, she'll say that her first classmate doesn't appear to be quite hyped about the new school year.

Hana steps inside, humming as she goes. The classroom's size seems small now in comparison to the huge door they installed. She picks a seat in the back, quickly move to settle herself down and pulls out her favorite botanical book. Some of the kids looked at her and she returns the gesture with a small nod to replace her bow.

Eventually, her eyes leave them. Still humming to her song, she studies the flowers. Mom always say that she had a feeling Hana would grow to love nature so she named her Hanako. For the most part, she likes the name very much. It's only troublesome when people start asking her why her last name is the same as that of her mom. Their neighbors like to speculate about her life. They took pity on her for not having a dad even though she doesn't really feel anything about it. Her parents got a divorce when she was so young that she can barely remember what her dad looks like. They even move to Musutafu right after the break up. Her mother doesn't like to talk about it so Hana never ask. She's not really that interested in such matter anyway.

What happened, happened.

'Alright, pretties. Let's see who we have here!'

An unfamiliar voice perks her interest. Hana looks up from her book and cringes.

Despite the murmurs rising in the class, their teacher confidently announces.

'Boys and girls, let's hear some introductions!'

Hana looks around the cafeteria.

She kind of like it here. Big, spacious, and lots of good food. She can't really say the same for her classmates though, or their homeroom teacher.

She knew who Midnight was, and frankly she finds her to be an amazing hero, it's just… Hana kinds of expect a teacher to dress a little bit more like… well, a teacher. And her classmates were absolutely cranky. They didn't look like they want to respond to Midnight's questions or suggestions for ice breaking activities one bit. At least not until she pulled out her whip, on which Hana is not going to even comment.

She did expect everyone to be in a bad mood since their class is reasonably adjacent to that of the hero course but she didn't expect them to be right out depressing. Not a lot of the students seem like they want to be there and some of them flatly announced they will not settle for being in General Department.

One of whom she noticed was a boy - two tables before hers.

 _That boy with the purple hair_ , she ponders, scooping up another spoon of soup, _I think his name was Hitoshi Shinso. What a strange name. Who would name their child like that?_

He was very polite though. A bit quiet and reserved, but he doesn't seem like a bad guy. Probably just the type that is difficult to approach.

Hana checks her watch, flabbergasted as she recognizes it's almost time for afternoon classes. She stands up in a hurry, gathering her tray and her belongings. Her steps don't slow down even when she gets nearer to the return counter. A familiar hair passes by and she looks his way, forgetting to pay attention to her own moving direction. Not until her entire left side bumped into someone did Hana notice her own carelessness.

'I'm sorry!' she gasps, bowing constantly to her victim.

'It's alright' a male voice comes through and she looks up, instantly intimidated by the look in this student's eyes. They were of two different colors. One of them mesmerizingly in the shade of turquoise. She could stare at that eye for days for how much it reminds her of Dad's forgotten necklace. Despite their beauty, his eyes are filled with menace, much like that coming from Bakugo, only minus the 'I'm gonna kill you then dance around your grave' factor.

'I'm so sorry' she takes a few steps back, hands still clutching on her tray.

The strange student turns away from her, puts in his tray on the counter and leaves.

He seems like a force to be reckoned with, but she can't quite give a reason why. Hana trusts her senses though. Most of the time she gets bad vibes from people, she is right. She got nothing but deep trust and respect for her intuition.

In any case, she needs to leave soon as well. Hana can't afford to waste time. She needs to become a great student so that one day she and mom can live without having to lower their heads. She should call soon to let her know that she has finally settled into the apartment. Might be time to check on her and granpa's health. With her own move, she couldn't lend mom much of a hand. Deciding that a call will be nice, Hana leaves her tray on the counter and thanks the lunch staff. She heads to class, hopeful that she'd make a good impression on the afternoon teachers. It's going to be interesting to see pro heroes teach them mundane subjects.

Hana spends her day watching or being forced to watch pro heroes' news with her mom that she can't really fathom the idea of those jumping, punching, smashing people putting on a suit and trying to discipline the kids. She looks forward to the experience, but she can't really imagine how it might turn out. To be honest, having Midnight as their home room teacher was pretty much a shut down on her fantasy of an ordinary high school life (as ordinary as U.A. allows). But she knows mom would love to hear about this. Despite Midnight not being on her favorite-heroes-of-all-time list, she is still an icon for confidence and female empowerment. Hana can respect that. Just… maybe try not to wear revealing close around high school boys. They can't really do anything at this stage, but it is painfully awkward to hear them discuss about their teacher's… body parts during breaks.


	3. Chapter 3

Although Geometry isn't her best subject, Hana finds Mathematics to be quite fun. Almost as if there is a hidden conversation between all those numbers. She learns herself that just because something or someone is quiet, doesn't mean they don't have anything to say. Sharing an afternoon with the little flower bins back at Orudera had been refreshingly informative.

Hana lets out a happy sigh as she touches her cheek on the wooden surface of her table, studying the reddish brown chipped corners it has. The smell is amazing and best of all, it's so clean and so… blank. She loves the sound of chalk smoothly moved around the black board as Ectoplasm explaining the concepts behind their newly introduced formula.

Before she knew it, Hana's first day at school ended. Rather than holding an entrance ceremony and a presentation, they just picked up the books. As expect of U.A. of course. Kind of a shame since she was hoping to get to know some of the teachers better but after Midnight wraps up 'introduction' during home room, it is fairly clear that Hana signed up for a lot of hustle. Even though the school's fame comes from the Heroic Department, U.A.'s other departments do not fall behind in any national ranking of its category as far as anyone is concerned.

Their English teacher was Present Mic. She remembers him from the entrance exam orientation just as well as she did the uncomfortable silence treatment students were giving him. He seems strangely tame when it comes to teaching though. That is if she doesn't consider his style… or any other teacher's style for that matter.

Ironic how they wear their heroes costume when the students are in uniforms. It truly was a sight to see.

'Hey'

Hana noticed the boy name Shinso walking up to her desk and looking completely bored out of his mind. Panic sets in the closer he gets. Thoughts run through her mind like a psychotic checklist, analyzing why on Earth has this boy decided he wanted to strike a conversation with her.

Unlike every scenario in her head, he didn't come over to talk. He came over to gawk. And bluntly at it too. 'Just so you know,' he points, 'there's a purple lotus on your head'

Immediately, her hands shoot up, ripping the flower off of her hair.

'T-Thank you!' she gives him a rueful smile, 'For let me know'

'It's nothing' Shinso shifts his look towards the students around her leaving the classroom in a hurry, 'The ones sitting near you were kind of snickering the entire time and it was a bit distracting'

'Oh…'

Hana smacks her lips and sighs. 'I'm sorry'

'Why are you apologizing?' Shinso asks, 'You're not responsible for what they do'

'Well, yeah' she shrugs, studying him, 'But I still distracted you. I feel bad. Sometimes they just come out without me knowing. It's really weird isn't it? Growing a flower on you head'

'No', he disagrees 'I don't mind it. It's actually quite amusing since I never get to see a purple lotus before'

'O-Oh? I see'

Hana simpers. Her spine tingles hearing him talk. She puts the rest of her notes and books back into her back as she looks down at the flower now lying on her desk. That's the first time someone told her that her Quirk is amusing and not laughable. It actually doesn't feel bad at all.

She sneaks another look at Shinso.

He looks a little bit like Bakugo if she has to use a comparison. They both gel their hair up right, it's just Shinso's hair seems to be longer and softer. He's definitely kinder though, and maybe have more dark circles. Her middle school bully doesn't seem like the type to lose sleep over anything. She's pretty sure he definitely doesn't lose sleep thinking about what he did to the people he deems less special which is like 90 percent of student population.

Suddenly, Hana feels terrible. To think that she thought Shinso's name was weird and that he was difficult to approach. It's so nasty of her. She judged him by his looks. She more or less just gave him the same crap everyone else put her through for three years.

'You can have the flower if you want? I'm Morioka. N-Nice to meet you,' she reaches out her hand, hoping that her offering of peace works.

'Shinso,' he replies, returning her handshake and taking the lotus from her, 'Thanks for the flower'

She can't shake the guilt inside of her for thinking badly of him. He seems to see her or at least try to see her rather than her Quirk. Who was she to judge such a good person? She might even be able to count on him. Maybe he's the friend she wanted to have here. She's gotta have to start somewhere, right? He seems like quite the candidate.

'Hey! Erm…' Hana calls out before he could leave, 'Thanks for telling me, again. See you tomorrow… friend?'

Hesitantly sneaking a peek through her bang, she winces and watches Shinso gives her an entertained look. As he does, his thin and delicate eyebrows move closer to each other. 'That's not really how it works' the corner of his mouth slightly moves up, 'And I got better stuff to do'

'But… the flower…'

'Giving people flowers doesn't mean they're you friends. If I don't want to be your friend, I can pretty much just give it back, you know?' he suggests his flower-holding hand towards her.

Hana shakes her head. 'No…It's fine. That's not what I meant. I just thought… you know, that… never mind'

To be honest, seeing him offering to returns the flower feels terrible. Trying to make it not look terrible feels even worse. Hana's lost. It's not like she knows how to make friend. She didn't have one of those in middle school. How do people make friends really? Don't you just give each other gifts and stuff?

'You're funny' Shinso chuckles.

She looks up, afraid of the thought that he somehow read her mind. She starts to yell random words inside her head but since Shinso didn't flinch, she concluded that just must be a coincidence. Instead, he just chuckles. Which was just as bizarre. Hana didn't think he would, given that he seems… lacking the ability to accomplish such task.

'You really do sprout flower from your head' he continues, pointing at her head again, 'That's actually quite entertaining to watch. Does it hurt or does it just tickle?'

Without a warning, the boy reaches out, taking the flower off her head.

Hana backs away almost instantly from his sudden action. 'No! That's-It's a rose' she announces, frantically looking about as not to trip over air.

'Yes, and you are odd,' he smirks, '… I guess it's not bad having you hanging around. You don't seem like you'll hold me back'

She tilts her head, inching back to her spot next to him. 'Does that mean we are friends then?' Hana give him a hopeful look.

'You like cats or dogs?'

Her playful classmate questions.

'Cats!'

Hana answers instantly, probably too fast that it sounded like she squeaked. She takes a deep, calming breath. And repeats herself.

'I like cat'

Shinso shows a thoughtful and cheeky smile. He hums, crossing his arms in thoughts. She can hear her heart going crazy. Is the thing those neighbor moms told her about dog-person and cat-person true? Is he a dog-person? Does he hate her then?

Her mind was going wild again. So much that she didn't even notice her classmate studying her from head to toes.

'Alright then' he shrugs, 'I guess we're friends'

'Really?'

Hana wants to slap herself over the double check. Just take it at face value! She really didn't have to check that.

'Do you not want-'

'I do!' the girl frantically yelps, 'I do!'

'Okay then. I'll be going home. You're welcome to tag along' her newest friend bemusedly smiles, fixing his backpack.

Hana puts on her messenger bag as well, following him suit all the way out the door.

Her first friend on the first day at school. How proud would mom be!

Taking a peek at her new friend being on his phone, Hana studies the feature of his face. Why does he seem so laid back? She can barely stay still. But then again, he does appear to have more experience than she does in making friends so maybe this is nothing for him. She purses her lips together, secretly jealous of him and his phone. Must be nice having people to text.

'Morioka'

He unexpectedly speaks up.

'Yes?' she coughs, averting her eyes away from him right away.

'Why were you looking at me?' Shinso asks, much to her dismay.

He noticed.

She didn't think he would notice.

'It's nothing' Hana answers, pushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear. For the short moment her finger grazes her skin, she could feel the temperature difference in her lobe, 'I was just curious'

It might have been rude sneaking peeks at people but Hana just couldn't help herself. It's a strange feeling being next to a new friend. There's an awkward joy in the air hovering around them and boy she can smell it.

'It's a phone' the amused boy looks at her straight in the eyes, 'You have one too, don't you?'

Quietly, she nods. Embarrassment turns her cheeks cherry pink. She wanted to be cool about this, but the more she tries to be composed about this, the more he seems to make her panic.

'I-I guess I'll see you tomorrow then, Shinso-san!'

Hana announces, prancing ahead of him. She turns back and greets him with a wave.

This won't do.

She doesn't think that her heart can handle the situation any longer. Plus, she wants to find Midoriya and tells him about her first day at school. She wants to let him know she made a friend and if he doesn't mind, she'd also like to ask him to be her friend as well. Their incidental meetings are always cut short. Ever since their graduation at Orudera, they didn't run into each other the entire summer vacation. All they ever had was that one afternoon walking back together after he got into a fight on her behalf. That thirty minutes of walk was too short for her but it was magical enough.

Hana couldn't gather up the courage to ask him to be her friend then. Maybe she could now. Especially when she already managed to make friend with Shinso.

Students were already exiting the school when she made it to the gate, so it took her some time looking but hard work pays off. She finally found him. Same messy hair, same red combat boots. He was standing next to another students in glasses whose physique is one half his size.

'Midoriya-san!-'

'Hey! You two!'

Hana sees a girl passes by right in front of her, bubbly call out to Midoriya and the boy standing next to him – a girl with short bob cut hair.

Her heart drops.

She doesn't know why, but before Midoriya can see her, she walks away exiting the scene unfolding in front of her as fast as she could. She saw how really happy he is to see this girl who looks to be from his class? She has never seen any female from the Heroics Department before. Neither did she ever think about that.

The bob-cut girl seems so alive, so happy. She looks so much more outgoing and confident with backpack on her shoulders. And she has all his attention.

She can't seem to blame him. Even Hana has to admit, that girl was adorable – the kind of endearing that makes your heart flutters.

She didn't like it but of course, he'll have friends from the hero course. It's only natural. She just didn't want the thought to ever cross her mind, so she looks the other way. Hana keeps her eyes on the ground as she fast paces through another group of students. Their laughter is too loud and too obnoxious.

She stars to run.

A good person would just walk up to the three and introduce themselves but she could barely talk properly whenever she's around his proximity. There's virtually no outcomes where she sees herself becoming part of their little group.

Hana grips down the strap of her messenger bag. She moves as fast as she could to the P.E. ground.

Midoriya would want friends from the same Department as him. There isn't really a reason for him to accept her as his friend as far as all things are concerned. She's just another girl. There's plenty of those in his class she's sure. Heck, it looked like he was even blushing a little when that gal-pal of his arrived.

For the first time, the thought of being in Generals makes her sad.

She stops next to a cedar tree, sitting down next to it as she curls up into a ball. Something crumbles inside her chest. Hana breathes out, shakily. Maybe it's selfish to assume that he wants to know her. Maybe it's stupid for her to want to get to know him. He's in the Heroic Department, and his idol is pretty much the strongest hero to ever lived. Certainly, he wouldn't pay any mind to a girl with a sad, useless Quirk like her. All Midoriya wanted was to become a hero, and all she ever wanted was to do the exact opposite. There's no common point between them. No ground for them to be friends. Right?

But if her logic is right and her thoughts rational then it shouldn't hurt this much to see him with someone other than her. It shouldn't have hurt at all. He's happy, so why is she sad?

Hana sobs, hugging the cedar tree for comfort.

What if it's selfish?

What if it's stupid?

She still wants to tell him about Shinso. She still wants to let him know that the soup she had at lunch today was really delicious. Even though Hana knows that Midoriya might not feel the same way, what else should she do about her feeling?

'Morioka? What are you doing?'

Hana looks up, surprised.

The moment she saw him, something snapped. Without her consents, tears roll off her face and she sniff, unable to push back the negative feelings inside her heart. It came out, like there is nothing in the world that could hold her back. She chokes.

'S-Shinso-san'


	4. Chapter 4

Hana wakes up to the sound of rains upon her roof.

She breathes in the fresh and muddy smell. The room is awfully quiet.

What time- She rolls out of bed. Sun has already set and the room has gotten dark.

Hana crawls her way out of the listlessness and turns on the light. Her eyes burn from sudden influx of electricity in the room.

She sets the kettles on and closes the door.

How long was she asleep?

Today was tiring. They had P.E. at the end of the day which is probably what drained her out. Hana remembers lying on the bed, reading net comics. At some point she must have fallen asleep.

Her kettle shrieks, signaling her to come back to reality.

Heated tea flows down her throat, spreading its warmth all over her and chasing away the cold air from the rain. She likes this serenity. To her, right now - this moment is pure bliss. She doesn't have to think about anything. She doesn't have to get upset over anyone. She was just alone, by herself and content.

Hana thought that being near a high school, there would at least be more commotion around. Maybe it's because there aren't any of students from the Heroic Department living here. They made their presence known.

She does recall seeing another girl from her class staying one floor below, but that one never held the elevator for her so they mutually ended up avoiding each other the entire time.

Hana sits down next to her kotatsu. Good thing she got the Geometry homework down. There's a Literature test tomorrow but she isn't worried. If there is anything she likes more than gardening, it's Literature. Stories are her friends. They keep her lonliness away and they teach her aspects of life that her non-existent friends never could.

Her phone vibrates from under her covers and Hana picks up, noticing that it's a call from her mom.

'Hey, mom!' she greets cheerfully as she takes another sip of tea.

'Well aren't _you_ chirpy' mom sounds excited, 'How are you? How is school?'

Hana stands up from the ground, decided that her tea would be perfect with some honey. 'School is great, mom' she laughs, 'The food was really good. Classes aren't that difficult yet but it's definitely no Orudera. Oh! Oh! I made a friend by the way! Shinso. Hitoshi Shinso'

'Oh?'

She can hear the teasing sing-song in mom's voice. Hana clasps the phone between her shoulder and her head as she struggles with the jar. Needs two hands for this. She can't have ants coming inside for spilled honey.

'…It's not like that, mom' she sighs, finally able to get the darn thing open.

The girl wasn't lying. She can't even imagine any scenario where her mom's fantasy would come true. After she freak-out cried in front of him (not by choice) and then consistently steered away from conversing with the boy, there seems to be little chance of her still being friend with him, let alone being his whatever-it-is mom think she might be.

Chuckles echoes from the other side of the line as mom assures her that she was kidding.

It's been a little over a week since she gets to hear her mother's voice. Frankly, it's a bit lonely living by herself. Despite bringing a lot of her belongings from the house to make the place feel at home, there is still this coldness that follows her around when she returns from school. She has never had to choose a good basket of tomatoes or keep track of her spending alone. As much as she tries to keep her calm, Hana ends up panicking a little when there are too many types of fees to pay at the of the month. No one was there to share the load of groceries on the way back. No one was there to talk to when she hangs up her clothes. Doing everything by herself feels harder and time feels like it doesn't go by fast enough.

'How is the move, mom? How's everyone back home?' Hana asks.

She fills a full cup of tap water and heads to the balcony. It starts to get easier to steps on her mattress. When she first moved in, she kept falling on the bed every time she needs to water the plants.

The girl pries her door open. She can see the city light from here.

Even though the room was small and the rent was a little more expensive that what she'd like it to be, the view is absolutely breath taking.

'Home is fine. Your grandparents miss you'

Hana leans against the steel balcony fence, listening to the longing in her mother's voice.

'I know' she brushes her fingers through her hair and shudders under the chilly air as she hugs herself out of reflex, 'I miss you guys too. I'll ask to be stationed there during career experience. Can't promise anything though'

It came as a surprise to her when her mother decided she wants to move back to their hometown. Mom doesn't want her to worry but deep down, Hana knows her grandpa's health hasn't been the best these recent years. It was actually kind of brave of mom to let her go and live alone while she takes care of her grandparents.

'That'd be wonderful, love- Oh! By the way,' mom suddenly speaks, 'I saw a new hero around town today'

'Oh yeah?'

She pushes herself up right. Here mom goes.

'Yeah! He's actually quite young. And quite handsome too'

Mom voice gets mischievous. 'How do you feel about dating older man, Hana?'

'Mom!'

She spins around the balcony. 'I already have someone I like', she wanted to say. But they both know that there is no way Hana is going to spill the bean and let her mom catch wind of anything similar to crushes and love stories. Mom will not stop teasing her if that happens, and if her 14 years of knowledge serves any purpose, then it also can vouch for how much mom really enjoy seeing flower popping out of her head like bubbles at the mention of any supposed love interest.

'Can't hurt, honey' her mother laughs, 'He's the leader of his hero team. He's like what? 25? And well-mannered? Honey, if you want my blessing, you got it'

'Yaaaa.. no thank you'

Hana stretches her back on the rail, staring at the world from her upside-down angle.

'You know I don't like heroes'

'Well, _I_ like heroes. And I'm not gonna let you stay with me forever! Go! Live your life!'

Her nose crinkles.

Yes. Mom wants her to live adventurously.

Yes. Mom wants her to live independently.

But Hana wants to live with her, hopefully, in a small and safe town where their biggest worries are petty thefts and shoplifters.

'You've always like heroes, mom' she yawns, 'But don't you go showing them my photos, alright? I don't want you to get into trouble'

'Okay' mom says, a tint of grumpiness in her voice, 'I can't help it though. They're just really cool. Wait. Crap! I gotta go. I gotta make dinner for your grandparents'

'Alright, mom' Hana shakes with laughter, 'Tell them I say hi!'

'Course, honey. Oh, and take care of your cacti!'

The call cuts off, leaving her with the long and tired phone trill that echoes through the starry night. Hana presses the home button and pushes the phone back into her pocket. She picks the little bins of cactus up and tips the cup over slightly.

'Dinner time!' she loudly declares simpering at the plants.

She can almost hear her botanical friends giggling back.

Speaking of which, tomorrow, she'll have to avoid Shinso again. Having a friend isn't as magical as she thought. He's so pushy and nosy about her. She doesn't really want him to know about Midoriya. Not yet. She can't tell how he'd react.

Hana takes two deep breath.

 _I can do this_ , she tells herself and returns inside with the empty cup. All she has to do is get a good sleep. Refresh herself. It's been a few days now. Maybe he doesn't even care anymore.

Maybe he already forgot it.

Let's just go in tomorrow, study hard and go back here. Simple. Three tasks. Done.

Hana stares down at her feet, terrified by Shinso looming over her. For her own dignity, she didn't let out a squeak when he pretty much crept up from behind her and whispered 'Hello there'.

Sure. She had a mental heart attack, sure, but she didn't so much yip.

'So,' he speaks, finally opens up a respectable distance between them, 'Is there a particular reason why you have been avoiding me, _friend_? Or is it just embarrassment?'

Hana looks away, practically screaming guilty with her silence.

'Because if it's just embarrassment, then I'm here to tell you that I don't intend on teasing you or anything. Also, get that off your head…Whatever it is'

Instantly, both her hands shot up to cover her head. She rips the plant out and slams it on the table. Her face flushes from the heat.

'It's a prince feather!', she declares, staring straight at him. She needs to show authority. He seems to like it when she gets flustered. Well, she's not gonna let him have it. It's time to show him who's boss.

'…Okay,' Shinso announces, raising his hands to show good will, 'So, why were you crying the other day then, Prince Feather-san?'

She shrinks, any authority she tried to display vanish in the air like smoke.

One question. One question from him was all it takes to diminish her position.

Hana averts her eyes, discreetly checking her head for any stray plant life before mumbling '…n-nothing',

'You just cry out of nothing? You expect me to believe that?'

He crosses his arm.

'… Yes?'

'Okay then' Shinso shrugs, then walks away.

'Okay?'

Hana shoots up from her chair. 'Really? You're just gonna accept it?'

'Yeah' he agrees, 'I mean if you don't want to tell me why you cried over _nothing_ then maybe you don't need a friend… You need a therapist'

'Wait, Shinso-san-'

'Hitoshi is fine' he turns around, smirk on his pale thin lips.

'H-Hitoshi-san…Fine. I'll tell you…but _not_ here'

Hana looks away, pouting. As Hitoshi start to leave the classroom, she follows him. He did stay with her until she finish crying that day. No question asked. She owes him for that.

 _He is my friend_ , she ponders, giving in, _maybe actually talking to friends about your problems is what make the friendship… well, friendship._

In silence, she prays, asking for courage from above. It was embarrassing enough to burst out crying like she did. She fears now it is going to be a lot more mortifying trying to explain a reason behind that. Especially when she has none of a good one to give.

'So, let me get this straight,' Hitoshi slurps on his can of juice, 'You were crying because your friend-sorry, might-not-even-be-friend friend from the Heroic Department ditched you for his classmates?'

Hana shakes her head. 'No,' she says, 'He didn't ditch me'

'Right. Because you didn't even go up to him and say hi'

'He seemed like he was busy,' she kicks the rock from below her feet, 'also, he might not even want to be my friend. Maybe he's more comfortable with the people in his class?'

'Did you ask him that?' Hitoshi asks.

Hana shakes her head once again. 'No… Isn't it an awfully rude thing to ask though?'

'Well, it's not like all those Heroic Department kids are that much polite either'

'He's not like that!' she raises her voice, 'Midoriya-san is a nice person. He's hardworking and he's very kind!'

When she regains consciousness of her own outburst, Hana becomes quiet. Hitoshi doesn't say a word as she instinctively inches away from him. He just stares at her. His long and almost piercing stare makes her want to run away. She pulls at the helm of her jacket, avoiding his scrutiny. He's thinking of something. Hitoshi is smart. He has that gaze that seems to peel off all your layers.

She squirms under his studying eyes.

Hitoshi blinks, turning his focus away from her. She can feel her muscles release themselves all at once.

'Why don't you text him and ask then, if you are so afraid of asking him directly?' he suggests.

She hangs her head dejectedly. 'I…I can't' the girl sighs, 'I don't have his number'

Her friend throws his empty can into the trash bin and dust off his trouser as he stands up. 'You know,' he says, 'I'm not even sure which one of you doesn't want to be other one's friend anymore. Morioka, you _actually_ seem to not want to be this kid friend at all by the way you shut off all communication with him like this'

'I didn't do that!' Hana squeaks, 'I just don't know how to start the talk'

Hitoshi smirks. 'That's easy then' he offers his hand. Hana takes it and dust off her skirt as well, 'You just open your mouth, and speak. Now, come on. I have club activity after this but the hero class should be finishing right about now. You might be able to catch him if you go back quickly enough'

She inhales sharply.

Right.

If she hurries, she might be able to catch Midoriya since they always study one class more than them. But what will she tell his friends? What if they think she's weird? What if she embarrasses him in front of his classmates?

'You're gonna go for it or not?' as if reading her mind, Hitoshi questions.

'I will!'

Hana answers, almost immediately. She didn't even have time to process what she just said. Her face starts to grow hotter every passing by minute so she slowly back away from Hitoshi.

'T-Thanks for talking to me, Hitoshi-san' she shyly smiles, 'I'll be going now'

And she walks, as fast as her dumpy legs could permit, barely catching Hitoshi telling her to pluck the prince feather off her head in the distance.

He's right.

She should pull herself together and ask Midoriya about this.

She will.

Hopefully, without drowning him with all the flowers falling off her head. That would be embarrassing. Unless he likes it. But he probably doesn't.


	5. Chapter 5

Hana tears through the crowd of people. She pushes through them with all her might. Feeling her breath shortens, the girl stops.

She shouldn't hesitate.

If she hesitates, she won't get a second chance.

Hitoshi is right. She can't know if she doesn't try. But it's so darn scary to know. Whatever that is waiting for her on the other side of the conversation, she might not even like it.

Would it be fair to let herself be hurt?

If she just turns back now and locks away these feelings then no one would have to be the wiser.

'Move!' comes the angry voice from Bakugo that snaps her out of her own insecurity. The boy sounds even angrier than her memory of him.

It could be a sign. It could be someone trying to tell her that there is nothing waiting for her back at U.A. and her childhood bully is here to deliver the message. Her feet drag back, one by one away from the threatening boy. She can't bring herself to run away. She couldn't turn her back. Something inside definitely does not allow her. It was as if someone is questioning her loyalty. Someone is questioning her will.

'You useless nobodies should have just stayed _down_ ' Bakugo grunts and glares as she passes by him.

Though Hana had no idea what he meant by that, she has no interest in sticking around to clarify it either. It was tiring enough drowning out the unapproving screams inside her mind. She doesn't need any more trouble than it's worth.

She wants to trust her instinct.

She wants to trust her friend.

'Midoriya-san!'

Hana calls out, barely able to catch up to the figure with which she is ever so familiar.

It only takes her a second, but she instantly notices his casted arm. Her blood runs cold at the sight.

'You're hurt?!' she exclaims, restraining herself from putting her hands over his injured limb, but it just turns out to be an awkward hovering of her hands above his bandages.

She could never get used to seeing him get hurt. It's even worse when she doesn't know the situation surrounding it. Hana was neither in the position nor the right mind to help him back then. Well she can now. And she's going to make sure he's safe… as soon as she finds out how to keep him from harm's way.

'Oh. This is nothing' Midoriya grins shyly, 'I'm just not used to my Quirk yet'

'Wait- you have a Quirk!?'

Hana asks, surprised.

She didn't know this. It didn't even cross her mind once when she found out he got into the Heroic Department. Now that she thinks about it, there should have been a feeling that things were out of place when Midoriya made it to the course without any Quirk. But she made it to Generals too even though she didn't manage to take down many robots during the exam. Maybe he's just a late bloomer.

Still… Can you get that hurt because of your Quirk though? What is his Quirk even?

'Yeah but actually' Midoriya answers, 'I only got it, recently'

'Well, I'm sorry you got hurt. It looks painful' she comments.

'It's alright. I'm trying to become used to my Quirk. I didn't plan on using it, but Kacchan kind of-'

'Wait. Why is Bakugo-kun in the story? Were you getting bullied again?! Are you alright?!'

Midoriya smiles brightly. 'Yeah!' he replies, 'It's for the class. Our team went against each other. My team won actually'

'Oh wow!'

Hana notes, slightly taken aback.

She stares at his costume.

It was so silly of her, not even noticing his uniform. Half of his left sleeve is burnt – courtesy of Bakugo no doubt. He's smiling brightly. His eyes shine with pride at the mention of his victory. Suddenly, Midoriya seems ten times cooler and she is ten times happier for him. U.A. did him good. It's amazing to see him stand up to Bakugo and won. She could never imagine something like that happening back at Orudera. No one would. It sorts of make Hana wonder as well if she could do the same. She'll probably fail miserably and die though. If Bakugo is kind, maybe she'll have a body for her mom to bury.

'So, what's up?' Midoriya asks, pulling her back to reality right away.

Her face starts to heat up. 'Oh', she squirms, 'It's stupid. But erm… I was wondering if w… iend?'

'I'm sorry. Can you say it again? I didn't catch that'

He says, leaning in closer to her. His warm breath practically grazed her skin. Quickly, Hana pushes his body away and before she even knows it, she was at the top of her lungs.

'FRIENDS! I WANTED TO KNOW IF WE'RE FRIENDS!'

Silence fills the space right after her outburst. She keeps her head down, mouth closes shut. Hana clutches her skirt, studying every stitch in her toe cap. What the crap did she just do?!

'You surprised me there' she hears Midoriya snorts and looks up.

He seems somewhat relieved and a bit happy too if she's not wrong. Hana bites down on her lips, hopeful.

It's good that at least he doesn't seem offended by her yelling directly into his face. Oh god, did any of her saliva got out? Mentally, the girl tries to replay the scene in her head… if there was even anything registered to replay.

'Of course,' Midoriya grins, 'I would love to be friend with you! I-I mean if you don't mind it? Do you mind it? You're not asking because you didn't want to be friends with me, right?'

'No!' Hana chokes, 'Oh god no! I really wanted to be your friend. I didn't know if you want to or not'

'Oh, in that case' he says, looking pleased, 'Let's be friend then'

'O-Okay!'

Hana couldn't believe herself.

She actually went and did it.

She actually asked Midoriya to be her friend and he actually agreed. Hitoshi needs to hear about this. He'll be really proud of her when he hears about this.

And at that moment, she realized. She has a friend to tell stuffs to now. No, she has _two_ friends to talk to now. She has people who would be interest to know what she has to say or what she has seen.

Gathering up her courage, Hana asks.

'May I…May I ask for your numbers too? We could text sometimes… if that's okay'

'S-Sure,' Midoriya says, struggling to get his phone with the still intact arm.

Right away Hana sets down her backpack and pull out her notebook. How thoughtless of her to bother an injured friend. Quickly jotting down her numbers, she tears off a page and hands it over to Midoriya.

'Here,' she says, 'This is my numbers'

'Oh! Thanks! Sorry, my arm is a bit…'

'Oh no no! It's fine!'

She beams, backing away from him. 'I guess I'll see you in school then!' Hana declares, turns around and heads for the gate.

 _Today is a good day_ , she notes, _Good things happened today._

She feels rejuvenated, almost as if she just got out of exercising. She can't wait to let Hitoshi knows how the conversation went down. She herself is actually quite proud of her little accomplishment.

Hitoshi is such a good friend.

If it wasn't for him, she would never have the courage to talk to Midoriya.

Hana shivers with delight. She needs to make sure he knows that. She needs to be nice to Hitoshi and show him how important he is to her.

Contrary to her prior thoughts, sharing a lunch with Hitoshi is beyond awkward. Hana knew that it wouldn't be easy trying to strike a conversation when she has not many topics to talk about but she didn't know that it would be so damn hard to ask her friend how he is enjoying the weather.

The boy keeps slurping his tea while looking at her. She doesn't even have to guess. His face screams second-hand embarrassment.

'Okay. Fine' she sighs, her nose scrunches as she drives her chopsticks through the piece of egg, 'I wanted to thank you. For your advice on the whole thing with my friend from the Heroic Department'

'You could have just start with that' Hitoshi smirks, 'And yet, we spent ten minutes of silence over the weather'

'To be fair' Hana pouts, 'You kept quiet, not me'

'To be fair. You suck at small talk. Not me'

Her friend cheekily counters.

His eyebrows seem to fuse together when he does. Hitoshi sets down his cup and clasps his fingers together. Extremely interested all of a sudden, she notices.

'…So' he starts, 'He's your friend now'

'Yep!' she replies, popping the piece of egg inside her mouth. The sugary taste revives all of her senses.

Without any effort, she digs into her skirt pocket and pulls out her phone. Immediately, the girl shows her friend her Line contact list.

Hitoshi raises his eye brow. 'Friend _and_ contact number' he knowingly nods, 'Are you sure you needed my help?'

Hana swallows hard, punching the food stuck in her throat down. Her friends offered his tea but she declines, taking in a fresh breath of air.

'Course I did! I'd never had gone if you hadn't talk to me about it'

'Did you sprout anything?'

'Nope! I got through it without any dangling flower!'

She points at herself with pride. Hitoshi makes no comment, just simply goes back to sipping his lukewarm tea. She's understanding him more, little by little now. Him and his judging look. Hitoshi can be a great friend and he really is. He just doesn't really seem eager to jump into her flow of the conversation.

But Hana doesn't mind.

She's more than happy to have someone to listen to her stories… as well as sometimes to peer-pressure into sharing his own.

'What makes you want to be this kid's friend anyway? The Heroic Department kids are awfully obnoxious as far as I am concerned.'

'Midoriya-san is different' Hana smiles, shaking her head, 'I've never met anyone as kind and brave as he is. He's really hard working. And he will not let bullies walk away. He's smart and he's strong'

'Sounds to me it's more like you have a bad case of a cru-'

A sudden alarm flares up throughout the cafeteria and both Hana and Hitoshi look around, utterly confused. All the other students rush out of their seats and head for the exit door. Her friend does as well, gesturing to the large exit.

'Let's go Morioka' he speaks with haste, 'Villain must have gotten inside the school ground! We gotta get to a safe place'

Hana follows him, but quickly becomes overwhelmed by the number of students packing up the hall way. For God sake it's not subway during rush hour. There's too many people pushing each other for them to even move.

'Morioka! Morioka, where are you?!'

She can hear her friend calling her, but no matter how much she tries to look for him, his purple hair is nowhere to be found. Someone's elbow strikes her in the back and she cough, gasping for air.

Hana didn't realize this before but compare to the students, she's almost a head shorter than them. With them pushing around and threatening to climb over each other for escape, she's slowly being pushes down onto the floor.

'H-Hitoshi-san!' she yells out, using every bit of strength she has left to stick her hand above the crazy river of people.

Someone grabs onto her hand right away, pulling her towards them. 'I got you' she looks up to find Hitoshi, worriedly shielding her away from the terrified stampeding students.

'Grab onto my arm' he instructs, 'We gotta get out of here'

Having no other choice but to follow him, Hana nods.

But before any of them could even make an inch forward, an unbelievable scene unfolds in front of their eyes. More specifically, above their heads.

A familiar figure floats above, then before she could make a comment, he starts rolling in the air, moving forward with a speed that she can only describe as similar to riding a bicycle if people have the ability to cycle airborne.

'EVERYONE!' the glass-wearing boy shouts, pinning against the small surface above the exit door like an enlarged sign of the escape route, 'IT'S ALRIGHT! IT'S ONLY THE MEDIA! EVERYTHING IS FINE! THIS IS U.A.! LET US BEHAVE AS THE BEST OF THE BEST!'

The crowd seems to calm down after Mr. Emergency Exit made his point clear. The pushing and pulling around her stop. Hana looks up, slightly blushing at the close proximity between her and Hitoshi.

'Hey…. Erm…. Hitoshi-san?' she shyly calls, prying away from his arms.

Her friend appears to have noticed their almost hugging situation and let go, trying as hard as he could to put some space between them in the sea of people.

'S-Sorry' he stutters.

That's the first time Hana ever see him get fluster. Hitoshi is so chill all the time that it's hard to imagine him being disturbed over anything. Then again, he's also a boy. Being near another girl must be unsettling for him.

'Thanks for saving me back there' Hana cracks a grin as she gives the body of students a mocking look.

Her friend scans around. He silently scoffs at the students slowly leaving for their classes. As the crowd clears out, Hana pulls up her sleeves, checking the dully aching left arm.

 _That's gonna stick around for a while,_ she winces at the sight of a nasty bruise bravely sitting right below her elbow.

'You okay?' Hitoshi turns to her. His eyes filled with concern.

She shrugs. 'I'll be fine. C'mon! Let's go back to class!'

Giving her one last worried gaze, he finally agrees to return to 1 – C. They had the scare of a lifetime thanks to the media, but now that she knows they are safe, Hana actually sort of enjoyed that little chaos just now. It felt nice knowing how much Hitoshi cares. She was happy he tried to protect her.

Things are starting to look up for her in U.A. ever since she met him. Hana can't wait to tell mom about this incident either. Though mom would probably be talking about all the heroes that showed up on the news and everything, she knows that mom would be proud and happy that she managed to made _two_ friends. Mom would definitely want to meet them. And when she found out both of them are boys, there is bound to be some talking. Mom can be weird like that. Regardless, Hana wants invite Midoriya and Hitoshi to visit her hometown one day. She has faith that they'll love it just as much as she does.

Hosu is quite a beautiful place after all.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: The chapter is now what it supposed to look like. Lemme know if you like it! Follow, favorite, comment! Love yall and have a good day!

* * *

Hitoshi rolls around in his bed.

He keeps thinking back to what happened in the cafeteria.

Despite the cold attitude of the other kids in the class were giving her, she doesn't seem bothered. Morioka is always on her botanical book, often simpering by herself while turning the pages. Other times, when students from 1-A passes by, she'd steal looks at the them. Hitoshi doesn't understand her and her thing for that one student in the Heroic Department. To him, hero course members are just a bunch of people with only a few points above him. Half of them are ignorant, and half of them are obnoxious. But she obviously has somewhat of a crush on that kid.

Sometimes he wonders if Morioka is just like them, but he also knows that there's something familiar about her. Both of them, outcasted by others because of their Quirks. Somehow, he feels like that bound them – two people with feelings no one else could comprehend.

'You mail has come!'

The phone notification startles him a little. The boy makes a mental note to change the setting from All-Might voice to something… calmer. Hitoshi checks his phone to see what the notification was about and notices among his other blatantly ignored SNSs, there is a new message from Morioka.

'Hitoshi-san!' it says, 'How are you?'

 _Well, that's not awkward at all for a text_ , Hitoshi raises his eyebrow.

'Bored,' he writes back, 'You?'

'I'm taking care of my cactus right now. I grew a new cactus today'

There are many things he would like to comment on that reply but he is most curious about the word 'grew'. Did she mean she raised it from a seed or just popped it off her head like she's some sort of ridiculous gachapon?

'Show me' Hitoshi types, doing his damn best to push down the urge to ask her if she produced the plant or not.

It's not like he wanted to see it or anything. He doesn't even know why he texted her something like that. He doesn't really understand why he text her back anyway. They haven't really shared any secrets that sets her apart from the others. Maybe except from what happened in the cafeteria.

Hitoshi has been spending his night thinking about it. He remembers the way she almost got eaten alive by the crowd and how worried was when the boy thought he lost her amongst all those students. Even when the bell rang, the only thing in his head was to keep her safe.

He never had that kind of thought before. It was… strange.

Another text message from her and Hitoshi wasted no time opening it up. He breathes out softly at a picture of a mini cactus with one small purplish flower sitting on top of it.

'Isn't it cute?', her message continues.

'Not really,' Hitoshi replies, didn't even notice the faint smile on his lips, 'Does it have a name or something?'

'Yeah' she responds instantly, 'I named him Shinso! Doesn't he kinda look like you?'

He freezes mid-typing, having trouble deciding how to feel.

A part of him cringes, reminding him of what a peculiar girl Morioka was while another finds her delight somewhat endearing. Mostly, he just feels odd seeing a picture of what apparently his plant personification.

'Did you know that there's going to be a sport festival soon?' he sends, feeling that it might be better for him to change the topic.

He doesn't want to get pulled in. It doesn't feel right.

'No' Morioka replies, adding a surprise emoji to her text.

'There's going to be one soon, and you might want to participate. You probably will meet your contact-number friend'

It took a while before another text from Morioka would come.

He stares at his phone. Anxious. He was actually expecting her to text back and this time, waiting for the reply was a bit nerve-wrecking. After the entire night, the boy got no clue as to why he held her so tightly the moment he pulled Morioka out of the crowd. Really, what are they to each other?

He can't answer that question. He doesn't find a valid reason that says that he needs to answer that question either. Guess she wasn't the only clueless one. She was visibly helpless when it comes to that Midoriya so he wanted to show her a way where she can stop dilly dally it out. He can't say for sure if the kid she wanted so badly to be friend with is a good person, or if he thinks of Morioka as his friend, but Hitoshi doesn't want to stand back and watch her struggle with herself. She reminds him of himself, so he wanted to give her something no one ever gave him before – attention.

Morioka sends another message. Only this time it was a file.

Hitoshi opens it to see a screen shot of what appears to be a conversation.

'Hello. Is this Morioka-san's phone?' **Midoriya-san** 's text said

 _Idiots_ , he looks at the conversation.

She must have been happy; but he doesn't feel the same going over their conversations. Hitoshi punches in the reply before setting the phone down and returns to his book.

'See what happen when you actually talk to people and ask them to be your friend?'

He didn't expect an answer from her. He gave her an advice he didn't take after all.

But the message came anyway.

'Thank you, Hitoshi-san' it reads, 'You have been nothing but a great friend to me. I'm really glad I met you'

He closes the Biology book and contemplate on what to write back to her. She really is a nice girl, which makes him feel now like she doesn't deserve this. He's not someone she will be glad to have in her life. As soon as she sees his Quirks in action, she'll fear him like everybody else. Plus, there is a lingering concern in the boy's mind that he might be getting to close. He can't make out his feelings so maybe it's best if he'd just… stay away.

'Go to sleep'

He types and sends the message before turning off the lights and sinks down onto the soft mattress. As he hears the crows cooing outside his window, Hitoshi marvels at the silver moonlight.

He feels like it is better for both of them if he keeps a healthy distance. He has had enough of nice people turning their back on him. Friends who assumed that he is a bad seed just because of how he looks. This trust that she needlessly put upon him, calling out for his trust to be put on her, he can't have it. He doesn't want to. It's not good.

He can see her face staring at him with disgust. Since she tries so badly to befriend a hero-course, he's more than sure she wouldn't see him the same way after she sees his Quirk. Hitoshi doesn't really want to have to deal with that heartbreak. He's not sure he can.

* * *

If Hana is not mistaken, then Hitoshi seems to be avoiding her.

He keeps telling her that he has to participate in the school club, but it never matters before when he walked over to her desk to strike a conversation right after classes ended. He didn't even say anything during the weird fire alarm they had last week. That was pretty notable so Hana just silently assumed that it was worth a conversation between them. She sorts of wanted to. The lack of his presence in her daily life has somewhat sent her into a slight sadness. Hana just assumed that he would feel the same way as well, but apparently not.

He hasn't even gone near her these days, not even once asking her if she would like to have lunch with him. She doesn't want to jump into any conclusion, yet Hana can't help but feel like she has done something to anger him.

He hasn't been texting her like before. His messages now are usually 'I'm busy', and she doesn't want to bother him if she is overreacting and he really is just simply busy.

 _Maybe he doesn't like the cactus?_ Hana ponders, staring at her phone's wallpaper.

That's too bad then if he doesn't like the cactus. She thought the little thing was cute and it kind of reminds her of him. Hana planned for the plant to be a gift. She might be wrong about that. Plants might not even be his thing.

If that's the case, then wouldn't he find her conversation uncalled for?

The though saddens her. She stands up from her seat and picks up the flower bottle.

It's time she changes water. She needs a breather as well. It is kind of fun actually to have her own personally make-shift flower vase to put near her study desk. Makes her feel a little bit special in the class.

Hana passes by the hall, stopping to take in the scenery in front of her. UA is exceptionally beautiful if you pay attention to every trees and lawn it has. She really likes the pastel pink flowers occasionally poke their heads out of hiding if she changes her angle just right to look at.

 _Wait_ , she suddenly notices, eyes catching a familiar figure running towards the school, _Isn't that one of Midoriya-san's friends?_

He seems desperate, frightened, almost. He looks like he was running with all his might and before she could even think about what could have happened, the four-eye boy disappeared into the school structure.

The confusion takes over, at least until she sees Hitoshi rushing through the hall towards her.

'Morioka!' he calls, urgently if anything.

Hana smiles, waving at him.

'Hitoshi-san! Hey!'

'Morioka, we need to _go_. The teachers want us to gather at the gym'

'Hm? Why?' Hana asks, thoroughly perplexed by the unanticipated dire look on his face.

He disregards her question completely, guiding her down the stairs.

Hana follows, walking fast-paced yet careful so that water doesn't spill from her little flower vase. Hitoshi's anxiety slowly flows to her. What little joy she felt about him finally talking to her gradually decreases the closer they get to the gym.

'Hitoshi-san, what's going on?' Hana asks, pulling him to a stop. His grip didn't break as he answers.

'I overheard that there was a villain attack-'

'Here?!'

'No,' Hitoshi answers hesitantly, '…In USJ'

'But isn't that-'

'Yes. That's where the hero course class is having their evacuation class today'

A sense of dread shoots up her body. Hana shivers.

'I need to call him' she mutters, prying her hand out of Hitoshi's grip.

'No. Morioka, we need to go. They want us in the gym in case there might be an attack here. The pro heroes are on their way to USJ. Your friend will be fine'

'No!' she exclaims, 'I need to go. I need to know he's okay'

She rips her wrist away from his hand and rushes towards the class, didn't even stop to catch a breath. Water was splashing out of her flower vase, some even onto her uniform but Hana rushes up the stairs until she reaches the acquainted humongous door.

Without a pause, she pushes it open, and hurry over to her seat. She places the bottle down the table before digging through her bag, searching for her phone and pushes in Midoriya numbers the moment she managed to open the lock.

The familiar tune rings, showing that her call is being processed, but after a minute of ringing. It stops.

Hana's chest tightens.

She dials again.

This time another voice comes up.

 _'The number you have called is currently unavailable'_

'No' Hana breaths out shakily.

'Morioka!' Hitoshi barges through the door, 'Let's go. They're gonna start a roll-call soon'

'He didn't answer' she mutters. Her throat dries up as she tries to calm her breath. 'He didn't pick up his phone'

Hitoshi walks up to her, setting his hand on her shoulder. 'Let's go' he nudges, 'It doesn't mean he is in danger, okay? Maybe he left his phone in the locker. The pro heroes are heading there, okay? They said even All Might is there. He will be fine'

Gently, Hitoshi guides her out of the class. Her feet feel heavy as if they were rocks and her knees as fickle as sand, but he waited for her to move, only occasionally encourages her along.

'Let's go for now. If we don't go we'll be in trouble. We'll for your friend in the gym'

'Okay,' Hana exhales with a shiver.

She can't shake this ominous feeling within her, but she also realizes that there isn't much she could do in this situation either. The frustration boils up inside, suffocating Hana. Suddenly, she grows afraid. What if something like this happens to mom one day? It's too unexpected and too frightening.

'You might also want to pluck that one off your head too'

Hitoshi adds and Hana listlessly traces her hand on top of her head.

'Oh,' she says, pulling the plant out and holding on tight to it. She can't help worrying about Midoriya, but she knows she can't really do anything about the situation either. It makes her mad.

It shouldn't.

She knows this entire thing is out of her reach. There's no real reason for her to feel this way.

But damn it, she feels terrible.

Hana looks at her friend. Hitoshi seems calm with only a hint of worries, possibly for her. She knows she's worried about Midoriya, but she also knows then that Hitoshi followed her all the way to the classroom to make sure that she was okay, that she wouldn't be in trouble.

'I'm sorry' Hana says, reaching out to hold his hand. 'Let's go'

She takes one deep breath.

She should trust him.

She should trust that he is right.

Hitoshi has helped her with so many things, he helped her not feel lonely in this new school. She wants to trust in him. She wants to trust that everything will be alright so that eventually they will be. Hana wipes away a little tear in the corner of her eyes.

'Thank you' she says, lifting his hands off of her shoulders. 'Thank you, Hitoshi-san'


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Welp, I am an idiot. I didn't know how the system works so when I checked back on my story, I saw that it was a bloody mess because there's literally NO seperator for seperated parts. I'll fix it. But as an apology, enjoy an extra posting.

Bye yall! And lemme know what you think in the comment!

XOXO

* * *

The assembly hall buzzes. Every students with the exception of 1-A are here, alerted and confused.

Hitoshi looks over at Morioka. She keeps holding on to her phone, waiting for a call from her friend. He can't help but let out a sigh. The boy was keeping his distance from her and for a while, it seemed like a good idea. But no amount of distance can erase the stolen glances from her. He can't unseen what has already been a fact.

She cares. That much he knows.

It doesn't feel fair to him either that he's doing this to her. Morioka did virtually nothing to deserve this, but Hitoshi is not going to sacrifice anything until he is sure that she is worth it.

'You alright?' The boy asks, looking forward.

Midnight went to USJ with a majority of their teachers. He can't say if that's a good thing or not. She's a great hero, but if she has to come out, then the villain might be more than just petty thugs.

Morioka cracks a sad smile at him. 'I'm fine…' she informs, 'Just worried'

'Hey… I want to ask you something' Hitoshi starts, 'About that friend of yours, do you have a crush on him?'

'W-What!?'

He flinches, signaling her to simmer down. The entire auditory was looking at them, eager to find out who was the one making a ruckus and why.

'W-Why do you say that?' Morioka hisses.

'So, you don't?'

'I do! But that's not the point!'

The boy interlocks his fingers and stares down on the wooden ground. 'It is the point though' he sadly states, 'Morioka, I think you're a bit blinded when it comes to him'

'Blinded?'

'Yeah. You know, you're smart. I saw your notes for class work-'

'Thank you?'

'But you're completely irrational when it comes to him. Like your brain stop working or something-'

'That's not true'

Hitoshi shrugs, looking away from her. 'Cuz you're not being objective about this. You make him sound like a saint, Morioka. It's a bit alarming'

The girl returns her attention to her phone, lips pursed. Not wanting to disrupt her apparent focus, he stays quiet. In hindsight, he could have been nicer about it. However, after witnessing her becoming hysteric over the news of U.S.J. Hitoshi decided that he can't let it go.

He might be keeping his distance but for him, this feels like the least he could do for her. Better the heartbreak coming from someone she calls friend than from the actual kid.

* * *

The moment news reached of their teachers' return, it did not take long for her to practically bolts out of the gym to find Midoriya. Her footsteps echo loudly through the hall. Hana can hear her own heavy breath resonating against the walls. She barges into the infirmary, no consideration for etiquette.

'Midoriya-san!' she searches for him.

'Morioka-san?'

Hana stops to study him. Midoriya seems worried, but she can't peel her attention from his bandaged arm. She swallows hard. There really isn't much she could say to make it better – to make her feel better. Midoriya has a wry smile on his face, making her completely mental. These emotions that are strangers to her, these emotions that are not at all clear, these emotions that are a blend of anger, frustration and hurt, they come with his wry smile. Hitoshi's words echo in her ears. She wants to ask herself why she's feeling this way. She usually feels happy when she sees him or thinks about him but looking at Midoriya in front of her now just make her heart break.

'Who is this young lady?'

The sudden question breaks their gaze from each other.

'Oh, she's a friend of mine' he answers, attempting to get out of the bed.

'You should rest, Midoriya-kun' Recovery Girl warns him.

Hana stands still, struggling to process her feelings. She knew that Midoriya was brave but she never knew he was foolish as well. She should have concluded from his love for heroes that he will try to pull something like this. Yet she fails to notice it. She doesn't like that. She doesn't like that he has become an exception. Maybe Hitoshi was right. Maybe she is blinded when it comes to him.

'I'm okay' Midoriya hesitantly speaks, 'It's alright so you don't have to worry about me, Morioka-san'

She doesn't speak. Doesn't really know how to. She imagines how she'd feel if he's ever in the same situation. Can she really get used to something like this? Is it something that improve over time?

'Young Midoriya, it might be best if she leaves'

She looks to her left – to the source of another voice. Her eyes glooms at the sight of the injured man sitting up on the bed. Hana know the moment she laid eyes on him, what this man really is – the cause of everything.

'Did he get injured trying to save you?' she asks, slowly registering a man in beige coat standing next to the bed, scanning her from head to toe – a detective, she deduced.

'I didn't, Morioka-san. It's not like tha-'

'Did he get injured trying to save you, _All Might_?' Hana repeats.

Their faces whiten from the shock. Silence befalls the room that gradually turns into a condensed mass of tension.

'How did you…' All Might speak up but Hana was faster.

'The moment I stepped in here Midoriya-san has been consistently looking at you, then me and so did the detective standing over there,' she says, carefully gestures to the man in coat, 'everyone is obviously nervous about my presence. Either it means I'm dangerous, or you have something to hide, or both-'

'Morioka-san-'

'-there are around 20 teachers in this high school 11 of whom went to USJ to rescue the students. All Might, including you that makes 12. Of all the teachers that return, I saw no one resembling the number one hero. There isn't anyone in our faculty that resemble your appearance. You can't just waltz into school either, we have the U.A. barrier for that. Thanks to last week little chaos, I found out' Hana breaths in, restraining herself from looking at Midoriya.

Her hands shake, so she clenches them together.

'Your presence here in the infirmary is strongly suggestive that you might be who I thought you are despite your look. I never saw All Might walking around school for more than a few hours. You don't homeroom any class. There could be a reason why you aren't readily available to the students. I wasn't sure what that reason is until I saw Midoriya-san looked at you. I've answer your question now answer mine. Did you get him hurt?'

'Morioka-san!'

'Don't get involved!'

Hana shouts as she turns her attention to the angry voice Midoriya just aimed at her.

She understands why he's mad. She understands she is being rude, but she would still ask the same question, say the same thing, and get mad all the same if she has to do it all over again. She doesn't want to see him like this. For the first time, she sees him and sees that he too is blinded by his admiration for this man.

'Well that, is some sharp observation' the detective remarks, 'But don't worry, miss. It is unfortunate that Midoriya-san was hurt during this incident but we assure you, the teachers and I will do everything in our power to look into this matter, so let's talk about this-'

'So, you can shut me up?' She scoffs, trembling as she takes on last look at Midoriya.

She needs to understand this. She needs to sit down and understand herself. She needs to have an inner conversation about how Hitoshi was right. She let her own admiration for Midoriya control her thought process. That's not good. Hana wipes the tears off her face and exits the room. The inside of her head burns to the point it feels like explosion is inevitable.

'Morioka-san!'

Midoriya calls from behind, but she ignores him and walks a little bit faster.

'Morioka-san! Stop! I want to talk!'

Hana grunts, halting herself.

The sound of his footsteps slowly catches up to her.

Ironic how now she would trade anything now to not have to talk to the one person with whom before she would have given the world for a never-ending conversation.

'Morioka-san. About All Might, please don't tell anyone' Midoriya pleas, much to her standing irritation.

'I won't' she replies, disappointed 'Is that all?'

'N-no'

She stares into his eyes. Midoriya seems troubled.

She doesn't want him to be. It hurts her just as much as it hurts him to be like this. Even Hana can't comprehend what she is feeling right now and his worrying eyes just add fuel to the fire.

'What do you want to talk about then?' she asks, part hopeful but mostly prepared.

'I-I'm sorry' apologizes her friend.

'For what?'

'For making you worried'

'I wasn't worried' Hana inhales sharply, 'I was _terrified_. I-What will I do if something happens to you? You're my friend. I don't know what I should do if you keep getting hurt like this'

Midoriya grips down on the helm of his shirt.

'It's not All Might's fault though' he sighs, 'It's just… I couldn't control my Quirk very well yet-'

'Then you shouldn't have used it. Those guys you went up against were villains. They're not there to play. They're there to hurt you. If the teacher weren't there, you could have been dead! Do you understand that?'

'Yes'

Midoriya looks at her, something shines in his eyes. 'Which is why I'll become stronger, so that no one can hurt my classmates or All Might anymore' he says.

The answer he gave pierces a hole in her heart.

'That's not it' she shakes her head, 'Go back, Midoriya-san. Get some rest'

Hana turns around, preparing herself to leave for the dorm.

'Wait. I'll walk you back first' he says, following by her side.

'No' declines the Hana as she bites down on her lips, 'Go get some rest. I can get home by myself. I don't think I want to be near you right now, Midoriya-san'

She didn't think such a thing would happen, not when she became a student like this. She knew that being a hero is dangerous and that one day, Midoriya will have to face this kind of injury, but she also thought that such a day would be after his graduation when he's properly prepared.

After today, things have changed.

After today she needs to think about their relationship and how if something like this ever happen again, is it really going to be worth it for her to maintain that relationship. They are not in the same class, they don't live in the same world. She needs to know how she can continue to be his friend and how he can continue to be hers.

It's not going to be easy, and it's not going to be short, but for both of them she needs to really give this a careful thought.

* * *

Hitoshi checks his phone again before searching at the station's entrance gate for a familiar face he waited two hours for. She hasn't shown up. The boy contemplates on coming back to U.A. to ask if anyone has seen Morioka. She didn't ask him to wait for her, but after she ran off to search for her friend, he thought it might be a good idea to stay with her anyway. If she decides she wants to get hurt, he might as well be there to cushion her fall. Not the healthiest relationship, but Hitoshi'd rather see her smile than let her suffer alone from something he knows will come.

It's seven thirty right now.

The station is getting more unbearable to be in. Busy salaries men are going to come around soon and there is still no sign of her.

He types on his phone but deleting the text before it even gotten sent.

The boy presses on her phone number and watches as their call connects.

'Hello?' Morioka voice comes from the other side.

'Where are you?' Hitoshi speaks into the device, barely able to contain his concern and slight annoyance.

'I'm at home right now' she answers.

The boy lets out a sigh of relieve. At least he knows she didn't run into any perverted man strolling about the street.

'Why? Did you need something?' questions his friend. Her voice sounds curt if not somewhat rude.

'It's nothing' Hitoshi replies, 'I just wanted to check if you are okay. I'll see you at school tomorrow'

He lowers the phone, about to turn off the call when her voice comes through again. The boy puts it back next to his left ear while covering his right so as to hear her better over the noisy footsteps of people passing through the gates.

'Where are you right now?' Morioka asks, her voice seems to be calmer now.

'At the station'

He tells her, a bit hesitated. He never told her that he'll be waiting. This might be a nuisance for her if she wanted to be alone.

'Were you waiting for me?'

Hitoshi listens to the short gasp from the other side. 'Yeah' he confesses, 'I got…. worried'

'Oh my- You should have told me, Hitoshi-san!' Morioka becomes flustered, 'Oh what should I do? Should I go meet you there? I'll just grab my jacket-'

'Why are you coming here, idiot?' chuckles the happy boy, 'Just stay at home. As long as you got back safely, that's good enough. Imma hang up'

'Oh… Okay!' she chortles, 'Guess I'll see you tomorrow then! Bye, Hitoshi-san!'

Hitoshi smirks as he turns around to check the time for his train home. He watches the crowd of salary men passes by noisily and grumpily. Usually, he would have hated to be near them at this hour. It means he wouldn't have any space to breathe let along stand inside the cabin. Today, however, things are a little bit different. Today, he's a little bit different. Strange how an unexpected person can make you change so much, but the boy doesn't hate this surprising shift in his heart.

He taps his card and passes through the gate as well.

'See you tomorrow' – three words that he didn't think would make him so happy. Slowly, the boy lowers his phone again.

'Yeah. See you tomorrow, Morioka'


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Oooohhhh new follower and favorite! I'm so happy! Thank you all so much! By the way, if you have a prompt you would like me to write, please let me know! Just message me and I'll let you know if it works. I have some stuff that I don't know how to write yet but I'm always open for more prompts! Love love love you all and looking forward to more followers and favorite in the future!

* * *

Hitoshi checks the door again, impatient as footsteps draw closer to the class.

It slides open and he looks with hopeful eyes. There she was, clumsily struggling to wave at him as she treads through the maze full of study desk. He hasn't been able to stop thinking about his relationship with Morioka. The more he tip-toes around that unforgivable ground of hope, the more he finds what he's doing to her selfish and uncalled for. She obviously wants to be his friend, and he's here calculating the pros and cons of that.

Just for once, he could have simply accepted her and her good heart. She deserves at least that. Aside from her obsession with this kid in Heroic Department, there is nothing about her that ignite doubts inside of him.

'Good morning, Hitoshi-san!' Morioka greets, wiping tiny drops of sweat on her forehead.

'Five minutes before the bell' he remarks, 'You're improving'

'Don't be mean' his friend pouts, going to her seat.

The boy turns around, watching her pulls out from the familiar messenger bag her habitual botanical book. It's a sight he had grown so accustomed to that he stopped questioning why she keep looking through the same thing over and over again. He is sure she has more books at home since Morioka likes literature, but he opted out of asking her questions that don't necessarily have much impact on neither or their lives.

Her hobby is hers. He had come to the conclusion.

Morioka rummages through her bag and suddenly turns to look at him. Instinctively, Hitoshi averts his eyes but realizing there is nothing to hide the boy returns the look.

'Hitoshi-san' she says, inching towards him with a palm-size teal cardboard box in her hands.

He raises an eyebrow, studying her in amusement and trying to guess what she might want with him. Morioka stands by his desk and gently sets the box down next to his arm.

'I made you a thing' she explains, 'It's not much but I hope you like it'

'Why the sudden present?' Hitoshi asks.

The girl doesn't answer right away. Instead, she cracks a mysterious smile and purses her lips.

'I wanted to thank you' she shrugs. 'For waiting for me. No one really did that for me before. It's… nice'

'Nice?' he smirks.

'I don't know' Morioka makes a baby leg kick, 'I never had friends waiting for me to go home together so it makes me warm and fuzzy'

Hitoshi coughs. 'You're giving me goosebumps' he jokes, 'but thanks for the present. Mind if I open it?'

His friend shakes her head. He tears off the transparent star pattern tape and sticks it on the table's surface.

 _Cute_ , he notes.

The inside of the box is a plastic bag filled with dried flower and from the smell, mint, and tea. Hitoshi was surprised to find the gift so… uncommon. He can't recall the last time anyone gave him tea. And he doesn't think he can either because no one did.

Man, this girl is weird.

'It's tea' Morioka adds, as if assuming the boy does not possess enough intelligence to discern what the bloody mess he's holding might be.

'You can drink it with honey' she describes, 'Or you can use it to wash your face-'

'Wash my face?'

'Yeah' Morioka chuckles, her eyes shine with excitement, 'There's rose inside so I think it'll be good for your skin. My mom used it too but we just kind of keep it inside the family. I hope you like it though'

He looks down at the plastic bag again, scrutinizing all the ingredients inside it. 'I'll use it. That I can promise', he smiles.

Before Hitoshi can say another word, the class door slides open again and Midnight walks through.

'It's time for homeroom, my lovelies!' their teacher announces and all the class starts to return orderly to their seats.

Morioka does too but he doesn't want to lose this chance so the boy grabs the helm of her uniform's sleeve.

'Hey' he starts, 'Thanks for the tea, Morioka'

Tenderly, her eyes lock onto his. 'You're welcome, Hitoshi-san' she dimples, 'Thanks for waiting for me'

* * *

Hana chews on the little sweet pieces of ice in her mouth as she mulls over the odd image of Hitoshi doing pretty much the same thing as her, only with the ice cream stick as he types on his phone. It's kind of amazing how far they have come from her pathetically begged him to be her friend. There are still many things she doesn't know about the boy but she can tell as much from each action he takes that he thinks things through and he is very kind. If anything, Hitoshi is like Bakugo and Midoriya mashed together, plus the purple hair.

Come to think of it, what kind of images does he have of her, the girl wonders. Must have been quite a show in his head considering how much he snickers whenever he sees her. Hitoshi always had that smirk on every time Hana does something. It's almost like the expression is reserved for her alone.

'Fun fact. Do you know that you can eat without staring holes into my face, Morioka?' her friend asks gently pushing his swing.

She giggles at the question, looking away. 'Sorry' Hana says, 'It's been a while since I get to talk to you in person. It feels a bit weird'

'Yeah, sorry about that'

Hitoshi stops the swing as he puts his legs on the ground. 'So, your friend. Tell me about him. What happened after you went and saw him?' he requests.

Normally, Hana would jump at any chance to talk about Midoriya, but thanks to their fall out at the infirmary, she isn't sure if what she knows about the boy is correct anymore. It's slightly more difficult to describe him now.

'Well' she purses her lips, 'He's a really kind person. There was one time this guy tried to bully me and Midoriya-san pretty much take the beating for me-'

'There was a guy who wanted to beat you up?' Hitoshi raises his eyebrow.

Hana kicks the dirt near her swing, wondering if telling her friend about this is the best. He already doesn't seem to like people in that Department. Him knowing this would probably wouldn't do them well. If anything, that day behind the school yard with Bakugo feels so far away now that Hana doesn't find a need to revisit it. It's no longer a good memory either. She used to be really happy thinking back about how Midoriya came to her rescue but taking on Bakugo is one thing and taking on a group of villains is another thing.

Her stomach churn at the memory of him in bandages.

'Sounds like the typical heroic' Hitoshi comments and she nods.

It's true.

Midoriya has every quality to be a great hero. 'He's really selfless' she says, 'and he's not really the type to stand still and watch if his friends are in trouble'

'But you don't want him to?'

'No' Hana shakes her head, 'It's not like that. I guess I want him to be careful? He was quite injured when we met yesterday'

'Well, you're a nice girl, Morioka and I'm sure you mean well but there's a limit to being careful, you know?'

Her friend sighs, and she gives a dry chuckle.

'I do. Even I myself did something stupid before'

'And what's that?' Hitotshi smirks.

The girl scans the playground for a while, trying to piece back the events of her entrance exam. It was so chaotic back then that she barely had any time to think. Maybe that's why she managed to do what she did. She just doesn't like it that her Quirk works when she didn't tell it to. It's concerning, to say the least. She never had much of a control over her Quirk but she doesn't want it to get too uncontrollable.

Trailing her eye along the game of hide-and-seek between children in front of them, Hana speaks.

'I took down a 0 point'

'You what?' Hitoshi chokes, startling Hana a little. She reaches into her bag and offers him tissues.

'I don't remember doing that though. It was all a blur. I was trying to get this one kid from under the 0 point. He got stuck between its legs and he looked like he was gonna be crushed so I just-'

'That 0 point was gigantic though' Hitoshi leans in closer seemingly interested in what she has to say next.

Hana shrugs. She herself doesn't really know what happens either.

'When I came to, the machine was pretty much covered with flowers and vines though. The kid I 'saved' told me', she makes an air quote, 'that the moment that 0-point touched me, all these plants start to grow around us and pretty much ate the thing up'

'And you have no idea how it happened?'

'Not a clue'

Hana says, crumpling up the wrapping paper in her hands. She can't very well tell him that she has little control of her Quirk now, can she? What if he gets angry that someone like her managed to get into U.A.? To be honest, she even thought of that herself sometimes. Bakugo wasn't all wrong. Midoriya gave her a chance to wish upon a star for a place in the school and now that she did make that wish and the wish did come true, she sorts of regret it.

U.A. is a great school, but somehow, she feels like he was the biggest reason she wanted to apply. After yesterday, Hana doesn't know what is really holding her here anymore. If they fall apart, what's her reason for being here?

'What's your Quirk like though? I haven't seen it in action' Hitoshi asks and she points promptly to her head.

'Yes, you have'

'That flower thing?' he makes a sharp breath, 'I thought it's an extra thing that comes with your Quirk?'

'It's pretty weak, huh?' she smiles and stars swinging on her own, 'I heard from mom that I used to be able to make flowers and plants grow before. Not on my head of course, but now it's just kind of stop'

'Do you know why?'

'No. Not really. Maybe because I don't use it?' she mulls, 'but Quirks don't change nature because you don't use it right? We even went to the doctor for, but they couldn't find the reason behind why my Quirk… degraded either.'

'Still. It'll be _some_ Quirk if you can do what you did in the entrance exam though'

'Nah… I'm fine like this'

Hana chuckles, swinging faster. Sunset creeps up on them as parents one by one came to collect their child for a warm dinner. The sight makes her heart sink a little. She wonders every time a dad comes by how it must have felt to be able to grow up with a father. Despite how hard she tried, the girl can't seem to remember anything about her own dad.

Hana contemplates going back to the convenience store to get something for her own. Another day passed, hopefully peacefully. Hesitantly, she reaches inside her pocket, struggling to decide if she wants to answer Midoriya's text. He has been striking up a conversation since yesterday asking her what she has been doing. Hana can't tell if that his guilt speaking or his fear speaking. She's not going to blabber about All Might for sure. Nothing good comes from her doing that. If anything, it'll just make Midoriya hates her, but if he feels guilty about making her worried then she has no response to that.

She wants him to be safe, but she can't impose her will on him either. Even Hitoshi said that she can't make sure 100% that he will not get injured, and she understands that. Regardless, her inside feels like it's having allergic reactions trying to rationalize his actions.

It's as messy as it could be. Now, they have an awkward air hanging around their relationship. Hana knows for a fact that if she doesn't do anything soon, they'll drift apart. She resents how fickle and short time really is when it comes to relationship trouble. It takes so long to create one and not at all much to potentially destroy one.

It's unfair.

Hana sighs, pushing herself off the swing.

'I gotta go' she smiles at Hitoshi, 'The supermarket is going to close soon. I gotta get groceries for dinner.'

Her friend stands up from his swing as well, but before she reaches for her messenger bag, he beats her to it.

'Wanna have dinner at my place?'

She freezes at the unexpected offer. 'Erm… why?' she asks then immediately rues the way her question sounds. 'S-Sorry. I didn't mean it that. It's just a bit sudden so I got curious…'

'It's fine' he puts up his phone and says, 'Mom was asking where I was. I told her I was with a friend, and she told me to bring you back for dinner. It's alright if you don't want to. She's a bit of a hassle anyway'

'Oh, no no' Hana disagree, 'I would love to go'

'Cool'

Hitoshi slings her bag over his shoulder once again walking as he texts. 'Anything you don't like?'

'None at all' Hana smiles, 'I eat anything'

'Alright' her friend shoves his phone back into his jacket. 'Let's go then. Just try not to get too weird out. My mom really can be nosy and pushy. Let her know if she's being a nuisance'

'O-Okay'


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: I think I'm late. Am I? Oops. Hope you enjoy this nonetheless! Like and follow for more. Comment for... communicating purposes? :

* * *

Thankfully, dinner went better than he thought. It could have been worse, but mom stops her little interrogation right after he glared at her. Had she pushed any further, Hitoshi would have to dig a hole and bid the world farewell.

'Hitoshi-san' Morioka nudges his elbow, 'You need to wash it or the water will be a waste'

The boy looks down at the porcelain white dish in his hands. He had seen it so many time – the object is possibly as old as he is – yet it feels so foreign to him now. Morioka's presence in the house makes everything feels anew. It's interesting and definitely intriguing.

'Y-Yeah. Thanks, by the way,' Hitoshi replies to her, gratefully, 'You didn't need to help out with the dishes though'

'Don't be silly' the girl chuckles, 'Your mom cooked all of this for us. How can I possibly just sit there like a bum?'

He turns around. His heart stops. Mom is chewing on the piece of apple, bemusedly watching his and Morioka's backs standing side by side. What she might be thinking in her head, he dares not imagine. With the amount of questions that she had for his friend, the boy would think that the girl wanted to leave even dinner ends. He knows he would have.

'S-Sorry about my mom by the way' he turns back, passing another dish for her to clean.

Morioka shakes her head; a bright grin graces her face. 'She was lovely, Hitoshi-san. It's been a while since I get to eat a family meal so thank you for inviting me'

'You're welcome' Hitoshi chuckles, 'You can always come again when you want to'

'Really?'

'Really'

A small smile appears on his lips. When was it that he felt the same warmth like now? The boy can barely remember. Mom and Dad have always been busy with work that he doesn't get much time to eat with them either. It's even more wonderful that he gets to share a meal with Morioka in his home. There's something different about it. A little bit of nervous, but also a little bit of happiness.

Maybe that's how it feels – to let someone into your world and be part of your life.

Come to think of it, not much time passed by after he and Morioka became friend. He can still recall her carmine messenger bag that doesn't match color with her daffodil yellow Converse. Those shoes stood out so much against her uniform that he can't help but remember them. She was so bad at making friends – practically bribing him with flowers to accompany her. Hitoshi finds the awkward manner rude but with time, and more understanding of how Morioka operates, the girl slowly becomes endearing to him.

'Hitoshi-san' she nudges his elbow again, 'Stop zoning out. You gotta clean the dishes-'

'Or the water goes to waste' he finishes and watches her pout in amusement.

'Wash the dishes then' Morioka huffs.

The boy studies her features. She always has that one lock of stray hair falling next to her right ear. No amount of hair pins she used can keep it from falling down again which he finds is actually impressive than annoying. Speaking of hair pins, did she get a new one this time? She always searches for those near the legs of her study desk in class too, saying that she drops them again. He never helped her look for those before. Maybe he should have, but the eyes of students made him hesitated.

'Fun fact. Did you know you can clean dishes without staring holes into my face, Hitoshi-san?' Morioka smirks.

'Foul play' the boy scoffs, 'Be more creative, Morioka'

'How's the taste of your own medicine?' cheekily, she looks up at him.

Having her around is fun. Not a lot of people talks back to him for whatever reason. Hitoshi doesn't want to think about the logic behind that. Somewhere in his heart, there is fear that he already knew what the reason is.

'Hey, Morioka' he changes topic, 'Thanks'

His friend's hands stop as she turns to observe him. 'What are you talking about?'

'I just want to say thanks' Hitoshi looks away, 'For being friend with me'

'..oooo…kay?'

'No. Really' he insists, 'I just want you to know that before…'

'Before?'

The boy pauses. Anxiety creeps upward his back like a ghostly hand ready to strangle his every effort to let her in. Should he tell her? He can't know for sure how she'll react to it. He doesn't want her to know that he judged her either. But if they are going to be friend, then he needs to tell her his thoughts as she was willing to share hers with him. Hitoshi just hope that they'd stay friends despite his demons.

'… before we stop being friend?'

'What!?' Morioka jumps, 'Why?'

'You'll know when you participate in the sport festival' sadly, the boy hangs his head, 'My Quirk is a bit… evil'

She stays silent for a good minute. He sees her eyebrows fuse together as she wipes the sponge across the bony white surface of the china. Without a word, she passes the dish onto him.

'M-Morioka?' Hitoshi calls, timidly.

'Don't talk to me' she demands, 'I'm angry right now'

'Why?'

'Why? Because! You think that I would drop you because of your Quirk!'

'Morio-'

'For fuck- Hitoshi-san,' the girl snits, 'You've seen those kids in class laughing about my Quirk and you're telling me that I judge people base on _their_ Quirk? Excuse you!'

'Did you just curse-'

'I watched movies too, okay!?' Morioka scowls, throwing the sponge down the drain.

Hitoshi reaches out to catch it before the thing ends up amongst the left over.

'Hitoshi?' Mom calls out from behind their back, 'What's going on over there? Are you making Hana-chan upset?'

'It's nothing' the boy mumbles, 'She's fine'

'I'm not fine though?' his friend looks up, questioning, 'My best friend just told me he wants to break off the friendship because he _thinks_ I discriminate him based on Quirk'

'I didn't say that-' he tries to defend himself, but stops as he goes over their conversation, 'Okay. Maybe I did say that. But I didn't mean it! I just want to let you know about it'

Morioka pumps the hand soap and washes her hands. He turns the faucet away from her, interrupting his friend from finishing washing the soap off of her wrist.

'Morioka, listen' he starts, hurriedly, 'I'm not trying to break off the friendship, okay?'

'Okay' she replies, 'because I didn't choose to be friends with you like I choose tomatoes from supermarket. Are we clear on that?'

Her eyes lock onto his, challenging any other doubt in his mind. The boy takes a step back, wondering if there were ever concern or trouble in his thoughts. He suspected her to be like everybody else, but there was also a part of him that expected the opposite. So, now that she is firing back at him, questioning his own sincerity like he did hers, Hitoshi is both glad and ashamed.

Morioka rips the faucet from his hand and concludes her hygienic effort. He didn't stop her, instead chose to remain at the sink for some soul searching.

'Hey' he mutters before she has the chance to leave, 'Sorry…'

'I like you for who you are, Hitoshi-san' Morioka sighs, 'If you like me for who I am, then this conversation never exists. If not, then we'll talk about it another day. Is that ok-'

'I like you for who you are'

Hitoshi cuts in fast, not wanting to lose his chance. 'Let's forget the conversation'

'What conversation?' the girl simpers before returning to the dinner table with his mom.

He watches as she appreciatively takes the offered apples and chows down on the food. Her smile shines brightly as she and mom continue whatever talk they never got to finish at dinner. It's a strange sight. He had seen mom smile before and he had seen Morioka smile as well, but there is something magical about putting them together in the same space and seeing them enjoying each other company. Hitoshi can't quite explain it, but he knows there is something at work there and he wants it to persist. He wants to prolong this moment, frames it and puts it on a wall.

'So… this is friendship' he whispers, 'It's actually not as bad as I thought'

Removing the denim apron, Hitoshi walks back to the table. He takes in the scenery of two grinning females as he sits down and serve himself a piece of fruit.

'What you laughing about?' the boy asks, looking back and forth between Morioka and his mother.

His friend offers another slide of apple and, probably to the day that he dies he wouldn't be able to forget, sing-songs.

'It's a secret'

* * *

Hana studies the clouds, humming as she treads along the dark road. Hitoshi walks by her side, constantly on his phone. She wonders if he still thinks about that awkward talk between them about him and his Quirk, but she tries to not bring it up again. After all, she did declare that it never happened.

She never thought about how Quirk dictates friends and one's life before. Maybe that's because she never had any of the previous. Maybe they were judging her because of her Quirk. Funny how that has never been a topic in her household. Mom never failed to let her know that no matter what her Quirk might be, she loves and respect Hana as a human being and as her daughter.

The girl puzzles over the question of whether or not Hitoshi's family ever gave him the same talk. She's sure they did. However, busy as they are, his mom and dad's influence in his life must be quite little. If that is the case then, shouldn't she take it upon herself to help them with that?

'What you thinking about?' her friend asks unexpectedly and she crosses her arms.

'I was just thinking that the stars are beautiful' Hana lies.

'You didn't even look up, Morioka' Hitoshi raises an eyebrow. Typical.

'I was thinking about how _beautiful_ the _stars_ are'

She presses, speaking through gritted teeth. Even the girl herself doesn't know why she's hiding it from him – probably out of shame, but she doesn't want her friend to know that she worries about his familiar education. If they hadn't raised him, she wouldn't have a friend. It's just a bit worrisome when she has to think about her responsibilities as his friend.

'Fine' the boy shrugs, 'Don't tell me'

And she complies, remaining quiet. They walk among the silence, simply savoring the whisper like breath from each other's existence. There's a certain romance about walking home late at night just the two of them. They usually bid their goodbyes at the closing door of the local train.

Hana takes delight in the drawn-out hours with him.

'So, are you excited about the sport festival?' she starts.

'Not too much' Hitoshi answers, 'Why?'

'You talked about it before. So, I just kind of assume that you are excited about it?'

'Are you?'

She shakes her head.

'I'm meh about it. I can't do much anyway. But I'll cheer for you! I can promise you that!'

It's not a lie. Aside from making flowers bloom on her head – partially - at will, there isn't much she could do with her Quirk. She doesn't have any interest in expanding it either. Whenever the girl tries to make flowers or plants bloom elsewhere, an unknown dread starts to comes into surface. Usually, it stays deep within her – safe and hidden – but for as long as she could remember, anytime she tries to grow something separately from herself, that uneasiness comes out to play.

It's unexplainable, and almost instinctual for her. Like a phobia.

'Hey' she speaks up, 'Do you think people have like Quirk-phobia?'

'Where did that come from?' Hitoshi chuckles, 'Like fear of people with Quirk or?'

'Like fear of using Quirk?'

'Hmm…' her friend muses, 'I don't know. Never thought about it. Why?'

Hana rubs her hands together. 'No particular reason' she comments, 'Just a thought'

The view of her apartment starts to span into sight. Their footsteps slow down and gradually halts.

'This is me' the girl smiles, walking backwards and away from Hitoshi, 'Thank for walking me back'

'Don't mention it' he locks his hands behind him, 'Mom's gonna kill me if I don't anyway. Sleep well, Morioka'

'You too, Hitoshi-san'

She says, turning to go back in. But something feels missing, so she turns around and grab his left elbow.

'You can come for dinner too!' Hana announces, '…If you want to… anytime?'

'I'll take you on that offer' Her friend cracks a smile – one that is free of any teasing, and only of joy.

Hana couldn't help but stare at him – a Hitoshi who is genuinely happy. She never knew there is this side to him. Sure, he had given her some non-sarcastic smiles before, but something changes the moment she saw him smile today. It felt almost like there had been a barrier between them that just now disappeared.

The boy waves her good night and she nods, walking back inside.

It wasn't quite as late as she thought it would be but no one seems to be around in the neighborhood. Hana struggles for some light from her phone as she climbs up the metal stair. The light must have burnt out. She has to let the land lady know to change it tomorrow. No other attendance here seems to care anyway.

Finally, she stumbles her way to her room, but as she tries to open the door, her phone rang.

'Oh, for f-' the girl growls, turning the door knob and pushes through.

'Hello?' she answers, searching for the light switch.

'Hana' mom's voice echoes through the line.

'Hey mom!' the girl greets, 'What's up? I just got back from-'

'Hana, I-Your…'

'Mom?'

Her blood runs cold. Something isn't right with mom. Her voice sounds out of place.

'Mom, what's going on?'

She asks. And the silence seems unbearable. But Hana soon finds that she should have settle for silence because when mom found her voice at last and speaks, the girl regretted ever knowing.

'Hana… Y-Your granpa just p-passed away'


End file.
